THE CHURCH AND INTERNET

I- INTRODUCTION

1. The Church's interest in the Internet is a particular expression of her longstanding interest in the media of social communication: "marvellous technical inventions" that do much to meet human needs and may yet do even more.

"The Church sees these media as ‘gifts of God' which, in accordance with his providential design, unite men in brotherhood and so help them to cooperate with his plan for their salvation" the view we take of the Internet.

2. The media of social communication "contribute greatly to the enlargement and enrichment of men's minds and to the propagation and consolidation of the kingdom of God".

Today this applies in a special way to the Internet, which is helping bring about revolutionary changes in commerce, education, politics, journalism, the relationship of nation to nation and culture to culture.

3. The Church has a two-fold aim in regard to the media.

One aspect is to encourage their right development and right use for the sake of human development, justice, and peace—for the upbuilding of society at the local, national, and community levels in light of the common good and in a spirit of solidarity.

The Church's concern also relates to communication in and by the Church herself finding "its starting point in the communion of love among the divine Persons and their communication with us".

4. It is also necessary to integrate the message into the‘new culture' created by modern communications.

II - OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

5. "Communication in and by the Church is essentially communication of the Good News of Jesus Christ".

The Church now needs the Internet, necessary in order to communicate effectively with people - especially young people who are steeped in the experience of this new technology - in order to use it well.

The Internet offers people direct and immediate access to important religious and spiritual resources. The Church can perform an important service by the selection and transmission of useful data in this medium.

The Internet is relevant to many activities and programs of the Church - evangelization, including both re-evangelization and new evangelization and the traditional missionary work ad gentes, catechesis and other kinds of education, news and information, apologetics, governance and administration, and some forms of pastoral counseling and spiritual direction.

A growing number of parishes, dioceses, religious congregations, and church-related institutions, programs, and organizations of all kinds now make effective use of the Internet for these and other purposes.

6. The Church also needs to understand and use the Internet as a tool of internal communications. This requires keeping clearly in view its special character as a direct, immediate, interactive, and participatory medium.

As people become familiar with the interactivity of the Internet, they expect also to look for it in the Church.

The Internet is an instrument that can be put creatively to use for opening up channels for the expression of public opinion, we have in mind such things as consulting experts, preparing meetings, and practicing collaboration in and among particular churches and religious institutes on local, national, and international levels.

7. Education and training regarding the Internet ought to be part of comprehensive programs of media education available to members of the Church in the formation of seminarians, priests, religious, and lay pastoral personnel.

Teaching about the Internet and the new technology involves much more than teaching techniques; young people need to learn how use the new technology for their integral development and the benefit of others.

8. The Internet also presents some special problems for the Church. While emphasizing what is positive about the Internet, it is important to be clear about what is not.

Among the specific problems presented by the Internet is the presence of hate sites devoted to defaming and attacking religious and ethnic groups. Some of these target the Catholic Church.

The proliferation of web sites calling themselves Catholic creates a problem of a different sort. It is confusing not to distinguish eccentric doctrinal interpretations, idiosyncratic devotional practices, and ideological advocacy bearing a‘Catholic' label from the authentic positions of the Church.

9. Along with study and research positive pastoral planning for the use of the Internet can and should go forward.